Device for supporting binoculars on military headgear



Aug. 8, 1950 M. s.- LARRABEE ETAL 2,517,892

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING BINOCULARS on MILITARY HEADGEAR I Filed Dec. 8, 1948 2 Sheets -Sheet 1 VIII/@QPMIIT ,1 E

INVENTORS' Operation The operation-of .the binocular mount will be readily understood by optical scientists, technicians and others merely by inspecting the accompanying drawings. However, it may be stated that each barrel of the binocularis attached to the mount by screws extending through the respective lugs 33. The angle of attachment, in the case of an infra-red-sensitive binocular is such that the oculars are at approximately interpupillary distance while the objectives are widely spread apart. The adjusting screw 34 is turned down to increase the interpupillary distance and backed off to decrease it. The springs 363l furnish the necessary tension for the latter operation. Screw I6 is turned down to raise the line 'of sight and backed off to decrease its inclination. If it is desired to look at objects in the wearers foreground adjusting screw 23 is turned inward against the tension of springs 25 to give the clamping plate 2| a slight downward inclination, as much as desired. To

examine the distant background, the clamping plate 2! is kept vertical or nearly so. To examine thesky, the screw 23 is backed off considerably. By-manually grasping the power-pack carrier 13 and altering its angle to the wearers head setting, thereby preventing the carrier and pack from contacting the wearers head and neck.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a device for supporting a binocular or the like on military headgear or the like, a band adapted to encircle the crown of said headgear,

spring clips attached to said band for engaging the brim of said headgear by the edge thereof, a semicircular band pivoted to the first band, so

as to be vertically adjustable in relation to the frontal area of the wearers head to vary the height of the binocular, a backing board depending from the front of said second band and rigid- 'ly held thereto, a clamping plate hingedly attached to the bottom of said backing board and Jfolded upwardly to form an acute angle with said backing board, wings attached to said clamping plate, means for attaching one barrel of a binocular-to the outer end of each wing, means for regulating the'forward inclination of said clamping plate in respect to said backing board to provide a line-of-sight control, and means for adjusting the inclination of said wings through a limited up or down rotation thereof in respect to the clamping plate to vary the interpupillary ,dlstance'of the, binocular, and a plurality of coil springs positioned between said clamping plate and said first band and between said clamping plate at the lower end thereof and the outer endsof said wings and tensioned to return the adjustable band, clamping plate and wings to their respective zero positions after the force prod-ucing their respective adjustment is relaxed.

2. In combination in a binocular support a first-band encircling the wearers head, a second band pivoted at two points, one on each side of the band, said points being approximately over the wearers cars, a lug attached to the front of the first band, and adjusting screw pivotally mounted at the front of the second band and capable of contacting said lug, a backing board attached to said second band at the front thereof and depending therefrom a clamping board capable of supportinga binocular, means for hingedly attachings'aid clamping board to said backing board substantially at the lowest point of both, coil spring means anchored on the first band tensionally holding the top of said clamping board toward said backing board and an adjusting screw extending through at least one of said boards and contacting the other to adjustably space them apart in angular relation to the hinged attaching means.

3. In a binocular support, a headband, a halfoval band pivotable on said first band at two points approximately equidistant from the front and rear of said first band, a lug at the front of said first band, a backing board attached to the front of said half-oval band, a pivotally mounted height adjusting screw threadedly adjustable to control said half oval band and abutting lug whereby the angle between said bands may be varied by turning said screw, said screw being mounted through said backing board where said board is attached to said band, a clamping plate mounted in front of said backing board a hinge between the lower end ofsaid clamping plate and backing board, coil spring means mounted on said headband and on said clamping plate to pull said clamping plate toward said headband, an adjusting screw between said backing board and through said clamping plate for adjusting the angular distance therebetween, an inwardly extending flange at the topof said clamping plate, a pair of wings extending outwardly from said clamping plate and pivoted thereto at a point intermediate of their ends, said wings having overlapping thinned inner ends, means at the outer ends of the wings forattaching one barrel of a binocular to each wing, anadjusting screw extending downward through said flange to press downwardly on said inner wing .ends to pivot the wings upwardly at their outer ends and coil springs mounted andtensioned between the lower end of said clamping plate and each wing so that said wings will be pulled down when the pressure exerted by the wing adjusting screw is relaxed.

4. In combination in a support for an infrared-sensitive binocular, a band for encircling the crown of the wearers military helmet, spring clips attached to said bands and depending therefrom for snapping onto the brim edge of said helmet, a second band pivoted at two points to said first band, the second band being vertically adjustable over the wearers forehead, means mounted on the front of said second band including a winged clamping plate of horizontally variable dimension and a backing plate in angularly adjustable relation for holding and adjusting an infra-red sensitive. binocular to the requirements of the individual wearers eyesight and a power pack support comprising a metal strap bent to rectangular shape and mounted at the rear of the first band, stiff hinges for adjustably mounting said support, said support when filled with a power pack being adapted to supply said binocular with electrical energy and to counterbalance the combined weight of the binocular and its adjusting means and to prevent undesired contacts of the power pack with the wearers neck or the rear of his head.

5. In a binocular support. means including a band for encircling the crown of a military ,hel-

' 3 Met, clip means for attaching the bandto the brim of said helmet, a semicircular band pivoted at two points to said first band and movable to pivot upon said points so as to be adjustable up and down over the forehead of the wearer, means including awinged, forwardly positioned clamping plate of horizontally variable dimension and a rearwarclly positioned backing plate in angularly' adjustable relation to each other on the front of said semicircular band for adj ustably supporting a binocular for line-of-sight adjustthe rear'of the first band whereby to contribute I to counterbalan'cing the weight of the binocular supporting means.

6. In the combination set forth in 01mm 5 a pair of rearwardly projecting stiif hinges attaching the power pack 'carrierto the rear of the first band whereby the carier maybe angu fiEFEREP-JCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,334,878 Young Mar. 23, 1920 1,605,725 Herbert Nov. 2, 1926 2,187,542 Hagen Jan. 16, 1940 2,270,931 Corcoran Jan. 27, 1942 r 2,357,377 Bausch Sept. 5, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,223 Great Britain of 1891 13,291 Great Britain of 1896 154,928 Great Britain Jan. 5; 1922 

